The 24 Hour Woman

The 24 Hour Woman

Year: 1999

Runtime: 93 mins

Language: English

Director: Nancy Savoca

ComedyRomance

A story about getting everything you want and what comes next Grace tries to be the perfect mother and TV producer but finds trouble in juggling both.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The 24 Hour Woman yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – The 24 Hour Woman (1999)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The 24 Hour Woman (1999). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

New York City, Herald Square

The story unfolds in New York City, centered on a bustling daytime talk show studio and its surrounding urban environment. Key scenes move through Herald Square and other Manhattan locations as Grace navigates deadlines, traffic, and celebrity interviews. The city setting amplifies the fast-paced, ratings-driven atmosphere of cable-to-network television.

🗽 Urban 🎬 TV production 🚇 City life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:11

Main Characters – The 24 Hour Woman (1999)

Meet the key characters of The 24 Hour Woman (1999), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Grace Santos (Rosie Perez)

Grace is a driven producer whose ambition to succeed on television collides with the realities of pregnancy and new motherhood. She negotiates complex demands from her boss and co-workers while trying to keep Lily close. Her arc moves from relentlessly pursuing ratings to seeking a more balanced and meaningful path for herself and her family.

👩‍💼 Professional 👶 Mother 🎯 Ambitious 💬 Persuasive

Eddie Diaz (Diego Serrano)

Grace’s husband and the show’s rising actor, Eddie embodies the tension between fame and family life. He often travels for film work, complicating shared parenting duties. His on-air persona and personal growth are central to Grace’s sense of support and conflict.

🎭 Actor 👨‍👩‍👧 Family man 🗣️ Conflict-driven

Madeline Labelle (Marianne Jean-Baptiste)

A mother of three who returns to work after a long hiatus, Madeline is eager and overqualified, taking the opportunity as Grace’s assistant. Her presence challenges Grace’s assumptions about work, family, and the feasibility of balancing both.

👩‍💼 Professional 👶 Mother 🏃‍♀️ Determined

Roy Labelle (Wendell Pierce)

Roy is a stay-at-home dad who faces stigma from peers for stepping into a traditionally female role in child-rearing. His journey highlights male vulnerability, adaptation, and the evolving expectations of fatherhood in contemporary society.

👨‍👧‍👦 Father 🧭 Struggling 🗣️ Re-evaluating gender roles

Joan Marshall (Patti LuPone)

Grace’s boss, she treats the pregnancy and Grace’s workload as opportunities to boost ratings. She’s pragmatic, unsympathetic to Grace’s personal struggles, and represents institutional pressures in media productions.

💼 Boss 🎯 Ratings-driven 🧭 Impersonal

Dr. Suzanne Pincus (Melissa Leo)

Suzanne is the author whose interview Grace wants to book, representing a high-profile guest who can lend legitimacy to the show. The process of securing the interview illustrates the friction between media access, publicity, and control.

📚 Author 🗓️ Publicity-focused 🎤 Guest

Brenda (Aida Turturro)

Brenda appears as part of the show’s staff and guest roster, contributing to the dynamic workplace environment Grace navigates. Her presence helps depict the ensemble nature of daytime television production.

🎬 Ensemble 👥 Colleague 🗝️ Workplace

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:11

Major Themes – The 24 Hour Woman (1999)

Explore the central themes of The 24 Hour Woman (1999), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🤱 Work-Life Balance

Grace struggles to balance motherhood with her high-pressure role as producer, revealing how motherhood intensifies career pressures and personal sacrifice. The show uses her pregnancy to boost ratings, highlighting how women’s personal lives are often commodified in media. The film explores the emotional cost of pursuing professional success while caring for a child.

🎭 Media Sensationalism

The narrative leans into the spectacle of television, turning Grace's private life into a public story for viewers. Ratings and PR tactics drive decisions, sometimes at the expense of genuine relationships. The on-air moment with the Luger demonstrates how media can escalate conflicts into dramatic, televised events.

👩‍💼 Career vs Family

Grace’s career ambitions clash with her desire to be present for Lily, leading to pivotal choices about quitting and redefining her professional path. The show’s evolution—from a cable program to a network staple—reflects how women navigate institutional power and opportunity. The film suggests personal fulfillment might require redefining success beyond traditional high-powered roles.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:11

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Unlock the Full Story of The 24 Hour Woman

Don't stop at just watching — explore The 24 Hour Woman in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The 24 Hour Woman is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The 24 Hour Woman Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The 24 Hour Woman, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The 24 Hour Woman Summary

The 24 Hour Woman Timeline

Track the full timeline of The 24 Hour Woman with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The 24 Hour Woman Timeline

The 24 Hour Woman Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The 24 Hour Woman that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The 24 Hour Woman Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The 24 Hour Woman

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The 24 Hour Woman: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The 24 Hour Woman

Similar Movies to The 24 Hour Woman

Discover movies like The 24 Hour Woman that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.